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BreatheWell_11

Does Seeing Other People Smoke Bother You?

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Walking around campus from class to class, seeing other fellow students smoke on campus right under the tobacco-free sign has always bothered me. For their own personal health as well as the well-being of others passing by, I sought to foster a higher level of wellness on our smoke-free campus. Therefore, I strove to increase awareness and compliance of our tobacco and smoke free policy.

When I attended the California Youth Advocacy Network 2019 College Conference earlier this year, several student leaders, faculty, and administrators from various other smoke-free college campuses across California voiced their concerns that policy enforcement is also the number one issue that is preventing their campuses from becoming 100% smoke and tobacco free. A project I have worked on that could address this issue is a “tobacco school” safety course similar to traffic school. This way, the policy could still have teeth, without the pressure of a full citation, and violators could also benefit by educating them about the harmful effects of smoking.

In partnership with the California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN), I am working with Dr. Michael Ong, co-leader of the BreatheWell Pod for the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative, to create the “UCLA Tobacco Free Campus BreatheWell Program,” a course that will educate campus violators about the issues of smoking that can substitute a full citation. The process to initiate this program has definitely been quite involved — meeting with key stakeholders, reviewing the materials developed for CYAN for the “tobacco school”, and developing a course workflow — but we are quite fortunate to be able to adapt the approach of the existing “BruinBikeSmart” course, saving valuable time and resources. Personally, I enjoyed CYAN’s learning module, as it was very interactive and engaging, and I believe that this course can appeal to all students and faculty by opening their eyes to quitting smoking. I hope that once this program is successfully launched, UCLA will set a precedent for other UC’s and college campuses, just as it did back in 2013 when it became the first UC smoke-free campus, to implement a similar tobacco school course to promote the health and well-being of other students and faculty.

In addition to my work on this program, I was also able to research the current UCLA smoke-free policy. Surprised to find that UCLA is one of the UC campuses that is not officially marijuana-free, I took the updated 2018 UCOP smoke-free policy that includes specific marijuana-free sections, and adapted these clauses to the existing UCLA smoke-free policy 810 as a proposed revision. After these findings were discussed during the UCLA tobacco-free task force steering committee meeting, I hope that the changes will soon be finalized, approved, and adopted, so that UCLA can become a marijuana-free campus.

Overall I hope that UCLA will become completely smoke, tobacco, and marijuana free in the future, because the health and wellness of our entire campus community should take priority as part of our Healthy Campus Initiative. I aspire that in the near future, we will all have the ability to breathe fresh, clean, smoke-free air throughout the campus. Do you have any proposals on actions that we can take, together as a student body, to promote a healthier and smoke-free campus? Feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

Richmund Tan is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (Class of 2019). In addition to blogging for the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative and championing for a healthier and more breathable campus for our entire community, he aspires to become a physician to improve patient health, stimulate his intellectual curiosity, and advocate for healthcare policy reform. Outside of school, he is also currently working as a policy researcher for Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian and volunteering at Cedars-Sinai, hoping to pursue public service leadership at the intersection of government and medicine.

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The Era of Vaping

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Written by Joyce Lan

The Transition from Smoking to Vaping

Imagine this, you are sitting outside on your balcony, enjoying the gentle night breeze, as you unwind from your long, stressful day at work. However, as you close your eyes to relax, your neighbor lights up a cigarette on his balcony. Immediately, the gentle breeze blows the smoke your way, surrounding you in a murky cloud of second-hand smoke. To avoid the fumes, you quickly leave the premises and head inside for a drink of water. What a fantastic way to end the day!

Studies show that the current public perception of smoking has come a long way, evolving due to people’s increased awareness of smoking hazards. Unfortunately, many still choose to put the cigarette between their lips again and again despite knowing the health risks involved with smoking, which include coronary heart disease and the development of lung cancer.

Although some may have initially developed the interest as a way to alleviate stress, or to socialize more with their co-workers, their inability to quit demonstrates the toxic chemical power packed into that small roll of paper.

So, what is the alternative to quitting cold turkey or using nicotine patches? The latest, most popular solution is e-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes), also known as vaping.

Vaping, in A Few Words

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines e-cigarettes as a product advertised by manufacturers as the safer alternative to smoking. It lacks tobacco, along with its toxic carcinogens, therefore making it ‘safer’. It is a device designed to help smokers gradually quit. But who is truly benefiting from the marketing of e-cigarettes?

The WHO report calculates that the global industry earns approximately 3 billion dollars from the marketing and distribution of the product. Also, there are about 466 brands selling the product and related versions alike. Furthermore, with the availability of approximately 8,000 unique flavours on the market, it’s no wonder more people are vaping instead of smoking!

The Cause for Concern

E-cigarettes and vaping are often thought of as the safer form of smoking. You get the “coolness” of smoking without the dire health consequences… Right?

Contrary to popular opinion, current professionals’ findings suggest otherwise. Currently, Dr. Avrum Spira, a pulmonary care physician and professor of medicine and pathology at Boston University, urges people to be wary of what they are breathing into our bodies.

E-cigarettes vaporize liquid that contains nicotine and flavouring, but is that all? According to Spira, the conversion of liquid to vapor changes the chemical composition of the liquid, causing you to potentially breathe in other chemicals besides the vaporized nicotine.

Moreover, the results of Spira’s preliminary research is not positive. It demonstrated that when e-cigarette chemicals come into contact with the mutated human lung cells of smokers who are about to develop lung cancer (their cultured cells), the lung cells became “more cancer-like”.

The Other Side’s Argument

On the other hand, there are also others who believe that the vaping ‘issue’ is not really an issue at all. Boston University Public Health Professor Michael Siegel strongly believes that the use of e-cigarettes will aid cigarette addicts and continue to do so. In fact, he believes that research regarding vaping should be redirected towards a more positive note. It should not restrict the utilization of vaping and condemn users, but help current smokers gradually quit smoking. In other words, e-cigarettes should should fulfill its original purpose, and help the addicted eventually quit.

To Vape or Not Vape, That Is the Question.

At present, it appears that there are conflicting views within the medical community regarding the benefits and regulation of e-cigarettes. While the WHO, the FDA, and Pulmonologist Avrum Spira assert that there may be negative health consequences related to vaping, Public Health Professor Michael Siegel and his supporters advocate for the continued marketing and use of e-cigarettes, along with more (positive) research regarding the effects of vaping. And so, the debate, and the research, continues. Which side will you take?

Joyce Lan is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Linguistics & Asian Languages and Cultures. She is the Website & Media Chair of BreatheLA at UCLA, a club that seeks to raise awareness of UCLA’s tobacco and vape-free policy.